DJ'ing salsa music

G

gabe0725

Changui
I have a good amount of salsa music & always wanted to get into DJ'ing. Does any1 know any good programs I could use or exactly what equipment / programs it is I need. Thanks!!!!!
 
Seriously don't need any special programs, but I dig Virtual DJ. If you're gonna do it, DO NOT go cheap on speakers. Check out the Mackie 450v2.
 
Mainstream dj's tend to use Ableton, Serato, and Traktor. Amongst salsa dj's in the UK the main two programs used are Algoriddim's Djay (Mac only) and Traktor. I've also seen Virtual DJ used.

Be warned that getting the equipment and software, and getting it all working together, is the easiest part of dj'ing.
 
gabe0725 said:
I have a good amount of salsa music & always wanted to get into DJ'ing. Does any1 know any good programs I could use or exactly what equipment / programs it is I need. Thanks!!!!!
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What is a " goodly " amount ?... and, do you have the various "styles" in your library ?, from old to new ?.

In addition.. do you know the difference between Guaguanco and Montuno for e.g. ?..
 
I still use CDs, as do a number of other DJs I see. (I even buy my CDs rather than getting downloads.) A lot of DJs who use laptops seem to suffer a depreciation in sound quality; I'm not saying it has to occur, but it often does. The major disadvantage of using CDs is the limit in the amount of music that can be carried at any one time. Also, if a DJ wants to mix salsa I expect a laptop would be more suitable.
 
DJ Yuca said:
I The major disadvantage of using CDs is the limit in the amount of music that can be carried at any one time.
.
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A DJ in the States ( friend ) used to have a truck with several crates of music.. no way in hell he would EVER play one 100th in a nite , but I guess he was covering all aspects.. altho they were essentially the same salseros every week .

Many of the DJs played off single track CDs and albums, creating even more "discs" .
 
Djay 3 for Mac is quite a nice, streamlined product. To get you going I would recommend it, although not always 100% reliable (sometimes song transition problems, etc). For small parties it would work well, though.

Traktor is a staple DJ tool, but it is quite complex, and I don't find it particularly intuitive. For people with the time and inclination, it would do the job.
 
Gabe I'll second dj-salseando. Getting the stuff is the easier part. I dj as well, and for me the challenge, and why I do it, is playing the right mix to get the most people to stay/dance while broadening their musical horizons. I can easily cobble together old favorites and play them, but then I don't think I would be dj'ing.

If you are plugging into already existing set-ups and are interested in being a digital dj a laptop and a means of having two sound outputs is the minimum you need.

Have you checked out our other threads on djing? I've included a few below, but I think if you search and read all the various dj threads you will find them useful.

http://www.salsaforums.com/showthread.php?t=12892&highlight=dj+setup
http://www.salsaforums.com/showthread.php?t=16901&highlight=dj+setup
http://www.salsaforums.com/showthread.php?t=17167&highlight=dj+setup
 
DJ Yuca said:
A lot of DJs who use laptops seem to suffer a depreciation in sound quality; I'm not saying it has to occur, but it often does.
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i would guess the reason is just that laptops have opened up the prospect of Djing to a lot more people many of whom may not necessarily understand a whole lot about the principles of DJ ing ,accoustics or technical side of it

then there is the "why should i pay a DJ when i can do it myself" customer. hehe can you believe i met some salsa organizers who actually attempted to hold a salsa event with a hifi system once. lol

and the added factor of that any file can be played on a laptop no matter how dubious its origin.

but thats not to say that CD or vinyl DJs come with a guarantee that they know what they are doing.
its just a more expensive "club" to be a member of.
and personally i think pioneer CDjs are extortionate for what they do.

a laptop DJ who know what they are at will sound exactly as good as any other IMO

there is no software that i know of that is particularly salsa orientated but i like virtual DJ it does the job ;)

and i would recommend to buy a sound card such as hercules Trim or hercules RMX (the controller version) mainly because those are the ones i use.
but they are a solid option. they will come with a free version of virtual DJ too. this is enough to get you on the way.
:D


i totally agree with mambo T that its worth it to spend money on good speakers if your budget can do that
i got a set of RCF Art 312A speakers and just love them. would recommend those.
 
Also DJs that play mp3s can use mp3gain.sourceforge.net to normalize volume at home, that makes work easier and smoother. :-)
 
ok..stupid question now...

how can I correct old song with just one "channel"? I am not a dj but I have like one mllion songs and the old ones I cant listen to them properly in some sound systems
 
kbitten said:
ok..stupid question now...

how can I correct old song with just one "channel"? I am not a dj but I have like one mllion songs and the old ones I cant listen to them properly in some sound systems
Click to expand...
kbitten there is a free program on the internet called Audacity. You can create two left/right channels from the one mono channel you already have.

Someone may have another suggestion but that's how I would do it.
 
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